Presidents Heartbeat - w/c 21st August

Released On 18th Aug 2017

My recent fact-find meetings with key figures across Yeovil, has unearthed town centre issues requiring action. 

Despite joined-up thinking and footfall initiatives from the District Council and Love Yeovil, a repeating story is emerging.  Internet trading, inflexible business rates and car parking charges, combine to make life challenging for the town centre retail/leisure sector.  New retailers hesitate to set up shop in Yeovil, due to the prevailing financial and aesthetic conditions, and evidence exists that our sizeable and affluent catchment audience is drifting away to other regional towns. 

Despite plenty of high-level activity, (welcome) consultation with key stakeholders, and some very impressive re-development ideas in the town centre, the ideas have stalled on the drawing board.  Business owners, consumers and other stakeholders are demanding flexibility and out-of-the-box action, to attract new life into the town centre.  Among the ideas put to me are; low-start business rates with walk-away clauses, free/low-cost town centre car parking, and seed investment from local government to encourage footfall and give a clear message that things are happening. 

The 21st century regional town high street is now a place where people want to gather, socialise, and enjoy leisure-time activity, with retail as an enhancement rather than a reason in itself, but the retailers need support.  Rapid growth in the Yeovil high-tech/aerospace sector continues apace, creating huge opportunity, and the prospect for prosperity, and may pull the whole town up with it, but whatever happens, action is required now, to capture this momentum for the benefit of the town centre.